U.S. patent number 7,878,596 [Application Number 12/127,351] was granted by the patent office on 2011-02-01 for automatic headrest activation gear.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Lear Corporation. Invention is credited to Stefan Brunner, Karsten Mueller.
United States Patent |
7,878,596 |
Brunner , et al. |
February 1, 2011 |
Automatic headrest activation gear
Abstract
A head restraint system includes a vehicle seat comprising a
seat back and a seat bottom. The system further includes a head
restraint guide positioned in the seat back. The head restraint
guide is adapted to hold a head restraint at a selectable position.
The system further includes a first and second gear rack and a gear
system adapted to contact the first and second gear racks and move
said gears tracks in a relative linear manner. The first gear rack
is attached to the head restraint guide while the second gear rack
is fixed relative to the seat back. An actuator system drives the
gear system such that positioning of the seat back in a folded
position causes the head restraint guide and the head restraint
positioned therein to be lowered.
Inventors: |
Brunner; Stefan (Freising,
DE), Mueller; Karsten (Ingolstadt, DE) |
Assignee: |
Lear Corporation (Southfield,
MI)
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Family
ID: |
40075858 |
Appl.
No.: |
12/127,351 |
Filed: |
May 27, 2008 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20080315653 A1 |
Dec 25, 2008 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Jun 25, 2007 [DE] |
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10 2007 029 166 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
297/410;
297/378.12 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60N
2/832 (20180201); B60N 2/891 (20180201) |
Current International
Class: |
B60N
2/36 (20060101); B60N 2/48 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;297/409,410,378.12 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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20 2004 017 045 |
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Apr 2006 |
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DE |
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10 2005 006 116 |
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May 2006 |
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DE |
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2 852 066 |
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Oct 2004 |
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FR |
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2057255 |
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Apr 1981 |
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GB |
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60244632 |
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Dec 1985 |
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JP |
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2006/050990 |
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May 2006 |
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WO |
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Other References
English Abstract from WO 2006/050990 which corresponds to DE 10
2005 006 116 A1 (for which no English Abstract is available), May
18, 2006. cited by other .
English Abstract corresponding to FR 2 852 066, Sep. 10, 2004.
cited by other .
English Abstract from WO 2006/048383A2 which corresponds to DE 20
2004 017 045 U1 (for which no English Abstract is available), May
11, 2006. cited by other .
Office Action from the German Patent & Trademark Office dated
Jan. 29, 2008. cited by other.
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Primary Examiner: White; Rodney B
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Brooks Kushman P.C.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A vehicle seat comprising: a seat back; a seat bottom; a head
restraint having at least one head restraint post, the head
restraint post adapted to be moveably positioned in the vehicle
seat back, the head restraint set at a raised position; and a head
restraint activation system including: a housing; a head restraint
guide positioned in the seat back and adapted to receive the head
restraint post, the head restraint guide allowing the head
restraint to be securely held at a selectable position; a first
gear rack attached to the head restraint guide; a second gear rack
fixed to the housing; a gear system adapted to contact the first
and second gear racks and move said gear racks in a relative linear
manner; an attachment member attached to the gear system; and an
actuator system that drives the gear system such that positioning
of the seat back in a folding position causes the head restraint
guide and the head restraint positioned therein to be lowered,
wherein the actuator system includes a spring that acts to push the
first gear rack down relative to a top of the seat back and a cable
system, the cable system having a mantle and a cable passing
therein, the cable being attached to the housing and the mantle
contacting the attachment member.
2. The vehicle seat of claim 1 wherein the gear system includes a
first gear wheel and a second gear wheel, the first gear wheel and
the second gear wheel being rotatably mounted on the attachment
member, the first gear wheel driving the first gear rack and the
second gear wheel driving the second gear rack.
3. The vehicle seat of claim 2 wherein the first gear wheel has a
greater diameter than the second gear wheel.
4. The vehicle seat of claim 3 wherein head restraint returns to
the raised position when the seat back is returned to a design
position.
5. The vehicle seat of claim 2 wherein the mantle provides a
counteracting force to the spring, such that when the seat back is
moved from a raised to a folded position, additional cable is
provided out of the attachment member, the additional cable
allowing the spring to push the head restraint downward thereby
lowering the head restraint.
6. A vehicle seat comprising: a seat back; a seat bottom; a head
restraint having at least one head restraint post, the post adapted
to be moveably positioned in the vehicle seat back, the head
restraint set at a raised position; and a head restraint activation
system including: a housing; a head restraint guide positioned in
the seat back and adapted to receive the head restraint post, the
head restraint guide holding the head restraint at a selectable
position; a first gear rack attached to the head restraint guide; a
second gear rack fixed to the housing; a gear system contacting the
first and second gear racks; a spring that acts to push the first
gear rack down relative to a top of the seat back; an attachment
member attached to the gear; system; and a cable system having a
mantle and a cable passing therein, an end of the cable being fixed
relative to the housing, wherein the mantle provides a
counteracting force to the spring, such that when the seat back is
moved from a raised to a folded position, additional cable is
provided out of the attachment member, the additional cable
allowing the spring to push the head restraint downward thereby
lowering the head restraint.
7. The vehicle seat of claim 6 wherein the gear system includes a
first gear wheel and a second gear wheel, the first gear wheel and
the second gear wheel being rotatably mounted on the attachment
member, the first gear wheel driving the first gear rack and the
second gear wheel driving the second gear rack.
8. The vehicle seat of claim 7 wherein the first gear wheel has a
greater diameter than the second gear wheel.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims foreign priority benefits under 35 U.S.C.
.sctn.119(a)-(d) to DE 10 2007 029 166.5, filed Jun. 25, 2007,
which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
In at least one aspect, the present invention relates to a head
restraint systems that are incorporated into foldable vehicle
seats.
2. Background Art
The competitive nature of the automotive industry provides a
continuing impetus to the development of improved vehicle system.
In particular, vehicle interior components are particularly
important because of the direct interaction such components have
with the vehicle operator and passengers. In many situations, the
aesthetic appearance and functionality of such components may be
determinative to a customer's decision to purchase a vehicle. Other
design pressures are derived from government regulations.
Government regulations frequently place restrictions on interior
components that may be at odds with aesthetics. Automobile
designers are therefore confronted with complex multidimensional
issues that must be addressed in the design of any motor
vehicle.
FMVSS 202a places restrictions of the design of head restraint
systems aimed at reducing the frequency and severity of neck injury
in rear end and other collisions. Moreover, since many vehicle
seats are foldable, problems occur when such seats are folded with
the head restraint in a raised position. Damage or misalignment of
the head restraints is also possible if seat are folded with raised
head restraints. These problems are particularly troublesome in
smaller vehicles, which have limited passenger compartment
space.
Accordingly, there is a need in the prior art for improved head
restraint systems that are incorporated into foldable vehicle
seats.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention solves one or more problems of the prior art
by providing in at least one embodiment, a head restraint
activation system that automatically retracts a head restraint when
a vehicle seat is folded. The head restraint system of this
embodiment includes a vehicle seat comprising a seat back and a
seat bottom. A head restraint having at least one post moveably
positioned in the vehicle seat back. The system further includes a
head restraint guide positioned in the seat back. The head
restraint guide is adapted to receive the post and to securely hold
the head restraint at a selectable position. The system further
includes a first and second gear rack and a gear system adapted to
contact the first and second gear racks and move said gears tracks
in a relative linear manner. The first gear rack is attached to the
head restraint guide while the second gear rack is fixed relative
to the seat back. An actuator system drives the gear system such
that positioning of the seat back in a folded position causes the
head restraint guide and the head restraint positioned therein to
be lowered.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 provides schematic illustrations demonstrating the automatic
head restraint retractability functionality of an embodiment of a
head restraint activation system;
FIG. 2 is an idealized schematic illustration of a side view of an
embodiment of a head restraint activation system;
FIG. 3 is an idealized end view of an embodiment of a head
restraint activation system; and
FIG. 4 is a schematic illustrating the operation of a cable system
used in a variation of a head restraint activation system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)
Reference will now be made in detail to presently preferred
compositions, embodiments and methods of the present invention,
which constitute the best modes of practicing the invention
presently known to the inventors. The Figures are not necessarily
to scale. However, it is to be understood that the disclosed
embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be
embodied in various and alternative forms. Therefore, specific
details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but
merely as a representative basis for any aspect of the invention
and/or as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the
art to variously employ the present invention.
Except in the examples, or where otherwise expressly indicated, all
numerical quantities in this description indicating amounts of
material or conditions of reaction and/or use are to be understood
as modified by the word "about" in describing the broadest scope of
the invention.
It is also to be understood that this invention is not limited to
the specific embodiments and methods described below, as specific
components and/or conditions may, of course, vary. Furthermore, the
terminology used herein is used only for the purpose of describing
particular embodiments of the present invention and is not intended
to be limiting in any way.
It must also be noted that, as used in the specification and the
appended claims, the singular form "a", "an", and "the" comprise
plural referents unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
For example, reference to a component in the singular is intended
to comprise a plurality of components.
Throughout this application, where publications are referenced, the
disclosures of these publications in their entireties are hereby
incorporated by reference into this application to more fully
describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains.
With reference to FIG. 1, schematic illustrations demonstrating the
functionality of an embodiment of a head restraint activation
system are provided. Vehicle seat 10 includes seat bottom 12, seat
back 14, and head restraint 16. Seat back 14 is pivotably mounted
to bracket 20 to move about seat bottom 12. Head restraint 16 is
mounted on post(s) 22. Post(s) 22 are moveably positioned in
vehicle seat back 14. When in raised position 24, head restraint 16
is at height h1 above the top of seat back 14. A vehicle occupant
typically sets height h1 to a desired value. Head rest activation
system 26 automatically retracts head restraint 16 from raised
position 24 to lowed position 28 when seat back 14 is moved along
direction d1 from design position 30 to folded position 32.
Similarly, when seat back 14 is moved along direction d1 from
folded position 32 to design position 30, head restraint 16 is
raised to substantially the same height h1. The release of cable
from Bowdon cable 36 allows movement of the head restraint as set
forth below.
With reference to FIG. 2, a schematic illustration of head
restraint activation system 26 is provided. FIG. 2 is an idealized
schematic illustration of a side view of the activation system.
Head restraint activation system 26 includes head restraint guide
40. Post(s) 22 are moveably positioned with head restraint
activation system. In a variation of the present invention, a
vehicle occupant performs positioning of post(s) 22. Lock 42 holds
post(s) 22 at the desired position. Gear rack 44 is attached to
head restraint guide 40 such that movement of gear rack 44 causes
movement of head restraint guide 40. Movement of head restraint
guide 40 is directed by track 46, which is mounted to housing 48.
Biasing spring 50 acts to direct head restraint guide downward
along direction d1. This downward bias acts to move head restraint
16 towards seat back 14. Head restraint activation system 26 also
includes gear rack 56, which is mounted to housing 48. Relative
motion between gear rack 44 and gear rack 56 is mediated by gear
system 58. The downward bias on head restraint guide 40 is counter
balance by cable system 60. In a variation, cable system 60
includes a Bowden cable. Cable system 60 includes mantle 62 and
cable 64. Cable 64 passes through and is moveable within mantle 62.
Mantle 62 contacts attachment member 70. An end of cable 64 is
attached to housing 48 at position 66. The gears within gear system
58 are rotatably mounted on attachment member 70. Mantle 62 is
somewhat rigid thereby providing a force that resists spring 50.
This counteracting force is provided from mantle 62 via attachment
member 70 and gear system 58 to gear rack 44. Therefore, when seat
back 14 is moved from a raised to a folded position, additional
cable 64 is provided out of attachment member 70 at position 76.
This additional cable allows spring 50 to push head restraint guide
40 along direction d1 thereby lowering head restraint 16 until the
counteracting force provided by the mantle act to stop said motion.
Gear system 58 is designed to provide the proper amount of relative
motion between gear rack 44 and gear rack 56. FIG. 1 shows that
translation of gear system 58 and attachment member 70 by an amount
s results in translation of head restraint guide by an amount t.
Moreover, guide pin 80, which is in communication with gear system
58 and attachment member 70 movement which guide groove 82 so that
the motion is in the proper direction.
With reference to FIG. 3, an idealize end view of a variation of
the head restraint activation system is provided. The present
variation utilizes a gear system having gear wheels of different
dimension. Head restraint activation system 26 includes gear rack
44 which is attached to head restraint guide 40 as set forth above.
Head restraint activation system 26 also includes gear rack 56,
which is mounted to housing 48. Relative motion between gear rack
44 and gear rack 56 is mediated by gear system 58. The gears within
gear system 58 are rotatably mounted on attachment member 70. Gear
system 58 is designed to provide the proper amount of relative
motion between gear rack 44 and gear rack 56. To this end, gear
wheels 2, 74 have different dimensions. Specifically, gear wheels
72, 74 will have different diameters. In a variation, the larger
diameter wheel is gear wheel 72. Gear wheel 72 is used to drive
gear rack 44. In this variation, spring 50 acts on attachment
section 70. The amount of translation t of first gear rack 44 and
for a given translation s of gear system 58 is given by: t=(1+x/y)s
where x is number of teeth in gear wheel 72 and y is the number of
teeth in gear wheel 74. This transmission ratio in needed to
provide sufficient translation of the head restraint when the
vehicle seat is folded.
FIG. 4 is a schematic illustrating the operation of cable system
60. In this variation, cable system 60 includes mantle 62 and cable
64 as set forth above. One end of mantle 62 is fixed to fixed
attachment member 90. Fixed attachment member 90 is fixed to a
position that tends not to move when seat back 14 is folded. In a
variation, this member is a pivot member about which seat back 14
rotates. The other end of mantle 62 contacts attachment member 70.
When seat back 14 is folded additional cable 64 is fed out toward
the top as indicated by item number 94. In one refinement of the
present invention, this extra cable is provided from cable spool
96, which rotates along direction d3. As set forth above, this
extra cable allows head restraint guide to move downward.
While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and
described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and
describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words
used in the specification are words of description rather than
limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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